Country Info Backend

Project Description

This NestJS backend application serves as an API aggregator for country information. It fetches and combines data from two external APIs:

• Nager.Date API for country lists and basic information
• Countries Now API for population data and flag images

Technologies

• NestJS
• TypeScript
• Axios for HTTP requests
• ConfigModule for environment management

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18.x or later)
• npm (v9.x or later)

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/phpfc/country-info-backend.git
cd country-info-backend

2. Install dependencies

npm install

Environment Configuration

Create a .env file in the project root with the following variables:

# External API Base URLs
DATE_NAGER_API_URL=https://date.nager.at/api/v3
COUNTRIES_NOW_API_URL=https://countriesnow.space/api/v0.1

# Optional: Custom port (default is 3001)
PORT=3001

Running the Application

Development Mode

npm run start:dev

Production Mode

npm run build
npm run start:prod

The server will run on http://localhost:3001 by default.

API Endpoints

Available Countries

• GET /countries
  • Retrieves a list of countries with basic information
  • Includes country code, name, and flag URL

Country Details

• GET /countries/:code
  • Retrieves detailed information for a specific country
  • Includes:
    • Country name and code
    • Population data over time
    • Bordering countries with their flags

External API Documentation

• Country List API: Nager.Date Swagger
• Country Details API: Countries Now API

Project Structure

• src/
  • countries/: Core country-related modules
  • http.service.ts: Centralized HTTP client for external API calls
  • interfaces/: TypeScript interfaces for type safety

CORS Configuration

The backend is configured to allow requests from the frontend application running on http://localhost:3000.